


Alternates

by ourshire



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Almost Kissing, Alt Verse, Alternate Universe, F/M, Pining, maxxnathan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-13 00:09:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9096598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ourshire/pseuds/ourshire
Summary: When Max wakes up in a strange new timeline, she half expects her relationships to be the same. She's wrong, of course, but just how wrong suprises her.





	

This was really fucked up, like _really_ fucked up. Nathan asking to hang out? Max read and reread the message. "Hanging out with me tonight, right Maxine?" Victoria was one thing, but Nathan? She couldn't believe a whole reality existed where she was buddies with the vortex club. It was unfathomable.

Max paused in her walk to type a reply: "Sure! Where and what time? :)"

She continued on her way to the bus stop, she had to see Chloe. What could she be like in this world? Max dreaded to think of how much different she may be. She stopped and waited for the bus to arrive, meanwhile, she checked her phone. "You forgot didn't you? We had planned on pretty much right now..." Shit, now? She definitely couldn't ditch Chloe for Nathan, could she? It wouldn't exactly be ditching though, seeing as though she didn't make plans with Chloe. She was really ditching Nathan, which wouldn't have been too bad, except the Nathan in this reality seemed to be friends with her and value the time spent with her. He was disappointed that she forgot their plans, that meant something, right? Chloe had waited this long, a few more hours shouldn't hurt. Max apologized to no one for holding off on Chloe and asked Nathan to remind her where they where meeting.

  
Nathan's dorm was different in this world, but the writing on his slate was the same. Max dared to ad a little smiley face in the bottom right corner. She wondered if he would ever see it. Knocking, Max heard what sounded like a chair falling over and then a series of curses following it down. "Nathan?" Max called from outside.

"Just, hmph, come in," he sounded slightly strained. Max opened the door to see a very normal looking Nathan bent over and rubbing furiously at his calf. "Damn chair," he mumbled before turning to look at Max. He smiled slightly and Max felt her heart lurch. What the fuck? He was smiling at her. And it wasn't malicious. It was actually kind of sweet? It was sweet.

"Uh, hey," she said awkwardly, looking around at the dorm. It was standard sized, but a large bed filled the middle and a projector was running the title screen of some movie.

"Maxine, glad you didn't forget all about me," he smirked, "ready to see this masterpiece?" He motioned toward the screen. She had ditched- er prolonged visiting Chloe to what a movie with Nathan?!

"Uh, oh well I-"

"Fuck. You changed your mind right?" He looked genuinely disappointed and Max was slightly taken aback.

"No, of course not Nathan. It's just, well something came up and I don't have a ton of time to hang out tonight," she hoped that sounded believable. It wasn't exactly a lie.

"Well we don't have to watch it, it was really just an excuse to cuddle."

Max almost choked and turned as she started coughing into her sleeve. "Maxine?"

"It's," cough, "Max," cough.

"I was joking, you know? Jeez what's up with you tonight, you're acting really weird. Victoria said you ran away from everyone earlier? She sounded really concerned. Did you talk to her at all?" Max must have started staring pretty stupidly at him because he raised his eyebrows and made a face as if to say "So are you going to answer me?"

"Yeah I just felt sort of... off," she said finally.

"More off than usual?" He joked and took a step toward her. She stepped back instinctually and silently cursed herself for it. "Alright, I can see you have something going on right now. Maxine, you know you can confide in me right? I mean you pretty much know everything about me and my family." Everything? Just how close was she to this strange and unfamiliar Nathan? He sounded so concerned, Max just wanted to sit down and tell this new Nathan everything, but for now she needed to get to Chloe.

"Thanks Nathan, I know I can, and I will. Just not right now. I really need to go deal with something. I'll make it up to you, I promise," she put her hands together in a plea to him. He broke into a smile and waved her off.

"Yeah, yeah Caulfield, but when you get back, we are watching this movie," she nodded and turned to leave. Halfway out the door, he added, "don't forget!"

Max wouldn't forget, and the next time she saw the real Nathan she would wonder if some version of the alternate one resided inside, waiting for someone to coax him out.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks! Check out my other works and my Tumblr @pensandpencils


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